Leicester embezzler gets prison time

WORCESTER 
A Leicester woman who stole more than $300,000 from two local companies has been sentenced to 2 to 3 years in state prison and ordered to pay full restitution.

Kimberly Powell, 42, of 318 Stafford St., Leicester, pleaded guilty Jan. 2 in Worcester Superior Court to two counts each of larceny of more than $250 and credit card fraud of more than $250 and a single count of falsifying corporate books.

The charges stemmed from the theft of $261,973 from New England Industrial Engineering Inc. and nearly $54,000 from Westerman Store Equipment Inc., according to prosecutors.

Judge James R. Lemire sentenced Ms. Powell Thursday to a Framingham state prison term of 2 to 3 years with 10 years of probation to follow.

As conditions of probation, Ms. Powell was ordered to pay $315,454 in restitution in monthly payments to be determined by the Probation Department and was prohibited from working in any type of fiduciary capacity during the probationary period.

Assistant District Attorney John A. O’Leary told Judge Lemire during last month’s plea hearing that some of the charges against Ms. Powell related to a total of $261,973 she stole in 2006 and 2007, while working as an independent payroll and tax preparer for New England Industrial Engineering.

According to the prosecutor, Ms. Powell added herself to the company payroll without authorization and was paid $175,973 to which she was not entitled. Mr. O’Leary said that on two occasions in 2006, Ms. Powell told company officials that New England Industrial Engineering owed federal taxes and asked them to wire $43,000 into her bank account, saying she would forward the funds electronically to the Internal Revenue Service.

Ms. Powell instead converted the $86,000 to her own use, Mr. O’Leary told the court.

The remaining charges to which she pleaded guilty involved nearly $54,000 Ms. Powell stole in 2010 and 2011 from Westerman Store Equipment Inc. while working as a part-time bookkeeper for the firm, according to George C. Hardiman, a special prosecutor assigned to that case.

Mr. Hardiman said Ms. Powell stole the money by writing company checks to herself and by fraudulently entering charges onto credit cards held either by the company or its owner.

Judge Lemire postponed sentencing until Thursday after accepting Ms. Powell’s Jan. 2 guilty pleas and released her on her own recognizance at that time.

Four counts of larceny of more than $250 by a common scheme that had been lodged against Ms. Powell were dismissed Thursday at the request of prosecutors.